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Wednesday, February 25, 2015

#THE_INTERVIEW: Local Rising DJ Talent – Terra Nekro

South
Africa’s music has a knack for showcasing talent that finds it not only
influencing the music scene, but also the fashion scene. It’s hard to ignore
when musicians such as Boyz-n-Bucks, Donald and Lindiwe Suttle are constantly
pushing boundaries and directly setting local trends amongst their followers
and the general youth.

We
caught up with a local DJ to chat music, latest career moves and fashion; Terra
Nekro is a Cape Town-born DJ who currently is moving locations to further
explore his talents. Recently, he’s also been a topical feature in social
media.

Renaissance Men:Terra, thank for your time.
Where in the world are you right now?

Terra Nekro: Pretoria

RM:Where do you plan on going next?

TN: I go wherever the music takes me

RM:What project are you currently busy with
at the moment?

TN: Well, I’m between my own tracks and beats
for Rude World Records and a few other independent rappers like Andy Mkhosi and
Lord Boolz

RM:How did your track land up on Black
Coffee’s Podcast?

TN: Well, I sent it to him. He liked it and
played it.

RM:How has this affected the game for you?

TN: I am not sure. I’m not one to ponder much
on things that I have no control over. I just do what I do and think about the
next move. I’ll admit that it has brought some attention and a sense of promise
to what I do and a few people that used to pay no mind to me stop to greet and
ask how I’m doing when they see me.

RM:Has it changed things for you? A bigger
fan base, more ‘Likes’ on Facebook, etc.?

TN: Black Coffee is the biggest deep house
deejay in the world; he’s probably been in the top 5 since he dropped his first
album. He owns one of the most revered music labels in South Africa/Africa.
He’s worked with all of my favourite producers and deejays, so he knows his
shit. When a brand this big plays your music the message is simple, you are
doing something right. This translates to people that are maybe not even taking
me serious, but are fans of his. Naturally people will start taking you
serious, with that comes a few more likes and a bit more attention. I don’t
ride things, though. I just make music for people to enjoy and not for
popularity, so I’m not that mindful of my “fan base”. Not to say that I don’t
appreciate the support.

RM:Is there any new music we can expect from
you?

TN: I create music every day; it’s how I cope
with life. My latest EP just dropped on the 18 February on a label called Music
Cell Records. It features the title track “Disturbia”, the one that Black
Coffee featured in his Pulse.200 podcast, together with remixes by three other
producers namely Jonas Lapert from Switzerland, Juloboy from France and David R
Maddocks from England. On my Soundcloud page I have other music that I’ve
shared as well.

RM:Do you see yourself as fitting in with
fashion or do you generally just dress as you feel?

TN: I’m more in to simple, but effective
attire. I like clothes that go well together and make me feel comfortable as well.
I have started to incorporate more colour and items with a bit more detail in
to my wardrobe.

RM: How does fashion and music connect and
influence the world?

TN: Creativity is creativity, art is art.
Regardless of the platform used to express it. Art will connect with art. No
one knows what sort of music Basquiat was really in to, but he hung out in
clubs with all sorts of musicians, journalists, photographers and fashion
designers. Art is art. 9/10 musicians are in to the finer things in life and
what better platform is there for any fashion label than to sell themselves as
part of a particular lifestyle than on the most popular artists platforms? If
you like KO and you see him wearing a pair of Vans sneakers in his music video
or show, what are you most likely to buy the next time you go shopping?

RM:Will you and your music affect the world
in the near future?

TN: I’m a very challenging person to be
around. Naturally my music would be challenging to the listener as well, but I
always try to stay within the boundaries of what I am creating. I think that I
will change a few things in the game or at the least try to inspire it. I grew
up at a time when deep house had no particular sound or formula; you just knew
that it was deep house. You just felt that you were bumping to deep house.
These days a lot of the new producers try to emulate what they’ve heard
already. I find that very boring, hence I still listen to the same producers
that I listened to when I was in late primary school and throughout high
school. I just feel that as the new school we don’t challenge ourselves enough.

TN: I’m not one for any particular designer;
I’m more in to items. If I see a shirt and it’s just right, I go for it. It’s
more about that item’s design and quality for me than the label or designer.
The designer won’t make a difference when the shirt is on my body and I’m
feeling very uncomfortable in it.

RM:Where can peeps get your music, or listen
to it?

TN: The label that I’ve released my two EP’s
with sells them on Beatport. You can also go directly to my SoundCloud page.

RM: And social media?

TN: I have a Facebook page,
though people opt to add me on my personal account, which is under my real name
Tembinkosi Ngcukana. I am not much of a Twitter fan, but my handle is
@terranekro . I am not on Instagram.

TN: The past few years have been about me
understanding myself and what I am about. I’m past that now, I know who Terra
Nekro is and therefore I will spend more time-sharing that with my audience.

RM: Any advice for guys (or girls) who want
to follow in your footsteps?

TN: I hate that term “following footsteps”.
Essentially, no one can follow in any other person’s footsteps. It’s about
deciding on what you want and doing it. Musicians do travel similar paths, but
that’s due to the nature of the business. Every great musician has their own
story, though. You can ask advice, but what you do with it is what sets us
apart and gives us different results. One of Jay Z’s favourite rappers Big
Daddy Kane never sold a platinum album or owned his own music, but what Jay has
done with his time in the game is beyond remarkable. I really don’t know how
else to put it. Just be you.